A proximity touch screen method using separation-type electrodes

Touch screens are widely used in smartphones, tablet PCs, and other electronics. Most touch screens detect contact position only. We propose a proximity touch screen method using separation-type electrodes with mutual capacitance measurement to improve functionality. In the experiments described in this paper, the proposed proximity touch screen detects an object and its position before contact (within the proximity range). In addition, we compare the proposed proximity measurement with conventional measurement. We expect that the proposed proximity touch screen will be a functional and useful interface.